Back in mid May when scouting for a new spot to try myself and my friend Toan stumbled across Mona Vale Ocean Pool. I had seen shots from there before, but hadn’t really put it high on my priority list.. I certainly wish I had though! We arrived to a very cold and windy morning at Mona Vale.. with a high tide and a big swell it was actually impossible for us to get out to the pool itself. Greeted by churning waters we setup camp and got started well before dawn.

This great old powerstation is located on the border of Rozelle/Balmain in Sydney, NSW. Just as you get off the Anzac Bridge it is located on the western side of the road and is now heritage listed. A trust that looks after these historical sites have been running open days, and we had access for a Photographer’s day at the plant.. which allowed you to get in there and with restricted access check out the many areas of the power station. Myself and my good friend Toan actually headed here straight after a sunrise.. we have been indeed busy bees!

Greetings.. yes.. I am still here! My apologies for the lack of posts over the last week The guide really took a long time to write (read.. 15 – 20 hours over the week) and I needed a break. Never fear the backlog of posting I have.. and the images to edit.. it really has backed itself up a little bit! I am hoping to get through some solid progress on it this week.. and see how it goes. I have been busy in the kitchen, and busy with some film and enjoying the long weekend we have just had in Sydney. So I just thought I would touch base to cap it off.. and then get together the new guides section of the site and perhaps plan my next one!

Finally.. almost there.. in fact I would say it is already a success as you dont have to scan your own negatives if you dont want too. So far we have covered what you need to get started, what you need to prepare to develop and then developing the film itself. This extra part is basically to cover how to get your negatives archived and on your own computer at a decent price. If you are going to do a high res print and you arent satisfied with the scanning results, I would suggest getting a print shop or a photo shop doing a high res scan for you.. it is very cheap and a great way for you to get the size/resolution you need to print.

Parts 1. 2 and 3 were all designed to get you ready for this point. Part 4.. the development process! Here I will go through a step by step look at how to develop your own film .. but I will refer to some previous steps and assume that you have completed things such as .. mixing your chemicals and preparing to do the development first. I will break the process up into different stages, the process itself doesnt take very long at all (say.. 15minutes) however having everything ready before hand will make life much easier.

Part 1 looked at the jargon and the process. Part 2 looked at getting you setup with everything you need to develop. Part 3 will directly look at the film side and what you need to get the film in the tank ready for development. When originally constructing the part’s of this guide I considered combining this with Part 2, however it is such an important and crucial step to the process (that takes a bit of practice) that explaining it clearly is paramount.

Part 1 had a look at the jargon, the process and what exactly we are dealing with when it comes to film and B&W film development. Part 2 will look at how to prepare for development. This is infact the biggest part of the process and the one that generally takes the longest. What? No? Surely the development process is the longest part?! Actually once you are setup the Development process takes the least amount of time.. it all comes down to proper preparation. The 5 x P’s comes to mind when thinking about this … (Proper Preparation Prevents Pisspoor Performance).

Part 1 will deal with an overall view at the process.. the jargon.. the film.. and what you are looking to achieve. The main idea is that by the end of the 5 days there will be a guide with enough information for you to purchase, prepare, develop and then scan your own film. I wont look so much into the history of film (I can save that for another time) but almost think of this as a science experiment. Now I will say right off the bat.. this is for Black & White development only.. NOT c-41 process/colour negative or E-6 (slide)/colour reversal film development. I will write guides to those processes.. as I learn them myself.

I am excited to share that over the past week I have been putting together my Guide to Black and White Film Development. As part of this blog I have always wanted to share some insight into how to achieve similar results in photography. Whether it be where to shoot, how to shoot and now.. film.

For most of May I have been able to borrow a Nikon D700 and I just love this camera to bits. One of the best thing is shooting at ISO6400 comfortably. I took this shot in my room of my Stormtrooper Headbobber (not to be confused with Stormy Stormtrooper). This shot was with my Nikon 85mm 1.8D and single lit by a lamp. There is noise/grain but its so sharp and what can I say.. I think I am in love. Time to get me one of these and make the move to Full Frame!